Laggy, smokey, horrible fuel mileage.

[Swedger]

Have an 01 5 speed , super chips, fass 150 running 15ish psi, 7x10s. 

Lately it's been running like crap. Smoking like a freight train through all the gears. If I ease into it into 3rd and 4th shifting about 2200rpm it just lays a cloud, same between 55 and 75 in 5th. Never done this before. No boost gauge or egt gauge so I can't tell if there is any change there. I've changed all my filters in the last 800 miles. Turbo has no play and my boots all seem good. My fuel mileage dropped from about 18 to 19, down to around 14 or 15, hand calculated. Any ideas? I've got smaller injectors on the way just because. But I'm not 100% convinced that's the issue. 

[Me78569]

Check for boost leaks.

 

also scan for codes with a code scanner.

[Swedger]

Boost leaks where else? As already stated my boots seem fine. 

[Mopar1973Man]

Boost leaks

• Intake manifold gasket
• Grid heater gaskets
• MAP sensor o-ring
• IAT sensor o-ring
• Turbo elbow o-ring & clamp.
• Missing manifold bolt(s)
• Hole/cut in a boot
• Hole or crack in the intercooler

Now you also got to look for drive pressure leaks too. Basically look for soot tracks along the exhaust manifold. Also look for cracks in the manifold. If you lose drive pressure you'll lose boost pressure. Also I typically pressurize the system and spray everything with soap solution and look for bubbles. Some times you can just hear the leak hissing away.

[Swedger]

Awesome. Thanks for the detailed answer.  Much appreciated.  

[Me78569]

Thanks mike one step ahead of me as typical.

[TFaoro]

Uh... you should never run aftermarket injectors without any gauges... let along injectors and a programmer. Those should be at the top of the list!

[dripley]

 

while the boots might look good you will never know until you pressurize the system and check it all out. I have some small leaks in mine that were unnoticeable until I pressurized it an checked with soapy water. 

Edited November 5, 2015 by dripley

[Cowboy]

Any time I disturb the intake on my truck, I always test for boost leaks up to 40 psi, some leaks don't show them selves till 10-20 psi.  A lot of times simply tightening the clamp won't work, you have to re-seat it.  For a quick check, make sure all the intake horn and intake plenum bolts are installed, they can work loose.

[Dieselfuture]

if you have a small leak if it barely bubbles with soapy water does it really make a difference? There is so mach air moving through tiny little bubble shouldn't heart a thing !? or would it?

[Mopar1973Man]

Lets say losing 1 manifold bolt is enough to drop my truck from 35 PSI to barely 8 PSI and EGT's sky rocketing instantly. So if you have several small weeping leaks it could add up.

[Dieselfuture]

Just now, Mopar1973Man said:

Lets say losing 1 manifold bolt is enough to drop my truck from 35 PSI to barely 8 PSI and EGT's sky rocketing instantly. So if you have several small weeping leaks it could add up.

a bolt makes since but i was talking more of a tiny leak, even a couple. I have few small ones at 20psi but i can hold 30 psi driving with no problems. I guess what i was trying to say is if at 20 psi you would push so many cubic feet of air through an opening, then that tiny small leak that just barely makes soap bubbles wouldn't even make up a small cup. but i do see your point.

[Me78569]

Small leaks add up.  

[Cowboy]

11 hours ago, Dieselfuture said:

if you have a small leak if it barely bubbles with soapy water does it really make a difference? There is so mach air moving through tiny little bubble shouldn't heart a thing !? or would it?

The air going into the engine comes back out and feeds the turbo, so small leaks have a larger effect then it would seem.

[Swedger]

23 hours ago, TFaoro said:

Uh... you should never run aftermarket injectors without any gauges... let along injectors and a programmer. Those should be at the top of the list!

I know it's a bad idea. Every time I mean to get gauges something else comes up or I forget about it. My initial thought was since it's such a small programmer it would be fine, plus I got my injectors for free from a friend so I couldn't really pass it up. 

I've got tomorrow off so I was gonna try and make me a pressure checker I found browsing the web. 

 

[gh0stman]

If you have done a lot of removing the intake horn the gaskets are probably shot. I forget which store I got it from but it had both sides of the heater grid and intake manifold gaskets for about $14 after being shipped to the house.

[TFaoro]

17 hours ago, Swedger said:

I know it's a bad idea. Every time I mean to get gauges something else comes up or I forget about it. My initial thought was since it's such a small programmer it would be fine, plus I got my injectors for free from a friend so I couldn't really pass it up.

I've got tomorrow off so I was gonna try and make me a pressure checker I found browsing the web.

 

That's like saying you should snort the cocaine because it's free and sitting on the table

My point being you can severly damage the internals of the engine and not even know it. Heck with 100's, stock hx35, and a smarty I could melt mine down pulling heavy loads.

[CSM]

3 hours ago, TFaoro said:

That's like saying you should snort the cocaine because it's free and sitting on the table

My point being you can severly damage the internals of the engine and not even know it. Heck with 100's, stock hx35, and a smarty I could melt mine down pulling heavy loads.

+1. OP very well may have melted some things. 

[Mopar1973Man]

5 hours ago, TFaoro said:

That's like saying you should snort the cocaine because it's free and sitting on the table

My point being you can severly damage the internals of the engine and not even know it. Heck with 100's, stock hx35, and a smarty I could melt mine down pulling heavy loads.

Heck just being in the mountain of Idaho and completely stock truck with no mods you can melt something really easy pulling heavy loads. That was one of the first things I learned after installing gauges in my truck going over 7% grades at normal highway speed it very possible to exceed 1,400*F worth of pyrometer just hauling a heavy trailer.

[JOHNFAK]

Stop freaking him out

Boost leak .... guages ..... check air filter.